How Easy Do You Make It For Your Clients To Do Business With You?

It is how they handle additional services that drives me absolutely nuts.

Periodically, I get a call from them. "Hello, Mr. Ungar. How are you tonight?" You know right there someone is trying to sell you something. The caller then goes on to say something about how I need a special application for something, or my lawn needs to be aearated or something like that. The caller tells me the cost, and I tell them yes or no.

Either way, you think you'd be done at this point. But not if you say yes. If you say yes, a second person has to call to confirm EVERYTHING you just talked about with the previous caller. That is how they work. Why? It's not like we are talking about a $1,000 service - it usually isn't more than $100.

I got one of those calls earlier this week. I told the caller I'd do whatever it was AS LONG AS I DIDN'T HAVE TO GET A SECOND PHONE CALL THAT NIGHT. He said no problem. He kept his word. I got the second phone call Wednesday night. I very politely told the lady on the phone that I don't care how their systems work, they don't work for me and I was cancelling the special service. She apologized profusely and said she was just doing her job.

This got me thinking: do we put our clients through needless hoops and hurdles? I hope not.